Become an Ally:Verb Program: Spring 2025 Cohort

Since the start of 2025, nearly 300 anti-LGBT bills have been sponsored in states across the country. Our federal government is also helping to codify shame and create hostility that is harming an entire generation of young people,  Our response has been heartbreaking. Many youth serving organizations are now afraid of visibly providing services to LGBTQ+ youth and have pulled back safeguards that we have taken decades to create. Your actions as an ally are needed now even more than ever. Become part of the Spring 2025 Ally: Verb Cohort and be part of a ripple effect of change that can offer support at a time when our young people need us the most. 

Who Can Participate?

• Are you a non-profit, school, youth serving organization, and/or youth mentoring program looking to create supportive relationships for LGBTQ+ youth in our current climate?
• Would you like to partner with a small cohort of learners from across the country to discuss strategies to support LGBTq+ youth as more and more anti-LGBT laws are enacted and our federal government is codifying shame and stigma?
• Would your youth program benefit from individual coaching, resources, and ongoing support to engage in implementing new policies, training, and best relationship level practices for mentoring LGBTQ+ youth?

You can (and should) be part of the Spring 2025 Ally:Verb Cohort. 

What is the Ally:Verb Cohort?

The LGBTQ+ Ally:Verb Cohort is a rigorous training, coaching, and organizational change experience that leverages research-informed best practices to help you and your team  build and sustain a culture of inclusion and belonging for LGBTQ+ youth, volunteers, staff, and stakeholders.  

Ally:Verb  Programs receive:

• 6+ hours of synchronous training with a cohort of learners across the country who want to make a difference for LGBTQ+ youth (Up to 3 leads from each Ally program can attend these sessions). 
• Access to the Mentorist Inclusivity Assessment—a proprietary tool that can help your agency understand your baseline climate for creating inclusive relationships for LGBTQ+ youth. This assessment will help your program to learn more about potential areas for improvement and existing strengths.
• Action planning tool to guide your agency through steps to update policies, programming, training, and to develop relationships with local LGBTQ+ organizations.
• Individual coaching sessions with Dr. Christian Rummell to check-in, review progress, discuss challenges, and partner on progress. 
• Opportunities to connect with peers from across the country as part of a learning community. 

Agencies completing the program will receive a badge of commitment that can be visibly displayed to highlight ongoing intentions to ensure LGBTQ youth are able to thrive within their programming. 

This program is designed to encourage personal and organizational learning and requires initial buy-in from organizational leadership and ongoing commitment from participating staff to engage in vulnerable spaces for learning and growth. 

Update: Given the current climate,  Mentorist no longer has  funding to support our Spring 2025 cohort. We are also actively looking to secure future sponsorships from national and state partners . The sliding scale cost is now $500 for the entire program as we want to ensure the greatest access and reach in this moment when we desperately need community, action, and leadership.